Life-saving suit



April 8,, 1924. wwansa O. A. YOUNGREN LIFE SAVING SUIT Filed Dec. 14 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 gwuanto'a April 8 31924. 1,499,059

o. A. YOUNGREN LIFE SAVING SUIT 2 Sheeis-Sheet 2 Filed Deb. 14 1921 OasarAYOmagrem Patented Apr. 8, 1924 j SATES OSCAR A. YOUNG-BEN, OEF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LIFE-SAVING SUIT.

Application filed December 14, 1921. Serial No. 522,352.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR A. YOUNGREN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and tate of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Saving Suits, of which the following is a specification.

My said invention consists in certain improvements in the details of construction and arrangement of parts of life-saving suits of the type shown in several of my former patents, for example, Patent No. 1,241,598, of October 2, 1917, and Patent No. 1,242,? 52, of October 9, 1917, whereby certain advantages are obtained, as will be hereinafter more particularly described.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which are made a part hereof, and on which similar reference characters indicate similar Pa Figure 1 is a View showing the manner of wearing the suit and its exterior construction as seen from the front,

Figure 2, a detail view showing one of the closure securing clamps,

Figure 3, a detail cross-section on the dotted line 33 in Figure 2,

Figure 4, a perspective view of one of the closure clamps,

Figure 5, a sectional view through the suit,

Figure 6, a detail perspective from the inside looking down on the upper edge of the front pad,

Figure 7, a plan view of the upper edge of the front pad and frame,

Figure 8, a detail view showing a buttonhole tab attachment employed as a part of the securing means for the pads and to hold them in place,

Figure 9, a detail view of the edge of the upper portion of the suit showing the fastening for the pad,

Figure 10, a detail view showing the manner of adjusting the length of the garment, and I Figure 11, a detail view of the ankle fastening strap. a

In said drawings, the portions marked A represent the main body of the suit, B'the upper hinged portion, formed to open to admit the body of the wearer, and C and D the buoyant lining pads.

The suit is, in the main, of substantially the constructionshown in the patents above preferably of buoyant kapok encased in appropriate fabric and attached to the in terior of the suit, as will be presently described.

The edges of the fabric around the opening in the suit, whichextends from the shoulders, or a point a little behind the point of the shoulders, down in front are connected with a frame composed of two parts hinged together. The part connected with the edge of the neck section B isicomposed of two curved metal bars 10 and 11 spaced a distance apart as best shown in Figure 3. The part connected with the fabric around the edge of the lower body section A of the garment is composed of a single bar 12 appropriately curved and adapted to position midway between the bars 10 and 11. The bars 10 and 11 are connected by curved transverse braces: 13 having their outer ends turned upwardly to form hooks. These braces support the two bars 10 and 11 in spaced position, and their outer hooked ends afford a means for engagement with a locking lever, as will be presently described. The rubber fabric of part B is secured across the space between bars 10 and 11 and the edge of the rubber fabric of part A is secured around the bar 12. Projecting horizontally from bar 12, when the parts are in normal position, is a lug 15 on which is mounted to swivel a sleeve 16 carrying a cam-shaped locking arm or lever 14: there? on. A coiled spring 17 tends to hold said locking lever in a normal open position. The sleeve 16 is secured in position on the lug 15 by a screw 30 and washer 31, the screw 30 engaging with a screw-threaded perforation in the lug. Lever 14 is secured on sleeve 16 to rotate therewith in the manner best shown in Figure 4. Lugs 15 and the hook-shaped ends of braces 13 are in substantial alignment when the parts are assembled, as best shown in Figure 3, so that the lower curved or cam-shaped edge of each clamp-ing or locking lever 14 is adapted to engage over the hook-shaped end of one of said braces and draw the respective parts of the hinged frame together, forcing single member 12 of the body section up between the spaced members and 11 of the hinged section and forcing the rubber surfaces of the fabric into close relation as indicated in Figure 3, the upper section stretching somewhat and being thus held against the lower section so as to form a. Secure and water-tight joint. The locking levers 14- are formed with abrupt recesses 18 at the extremity of their camshaped edges which securely engage the hook-shaped ends of the transverse bars 13 at the extremity of the locking movement. This formation is to guard against acci dental relcasins of the lock. However, in order to still further secure the lock from accidental releaselnent and the suit from opening or becoming leaky at the joint, I have provided a locking strap i9 secured permanently to an eye in the end of one of the locking levers 1d and provided with a snap hook 20 adapted to eng' ie with an eye in the end of the other locking arm. After the parts are locked, the s ap hook 20 is engaged as shown in Figure 1. thus any accidental unlocking of the parts is prevented. The raising of either of the arms 14 to the point where the loc ring strap becomes taut only aisesi the arm to the highest point of the cam and thus makes the joint more secure instead of operating to open it to any degree.

Another improvement consists in the pocket 21 on the front of the suit closed by a flap 22 opening to the outside and formed with fasteners 23 by which it is secured. This places within convenient reach of the wearer pocket in which articles may be carried that may be needed for any propose.

The buoyant pad C composed of an appropriate casing filled with suitable material, such as, kapok, is made to fit the front of the suit and is formed thickest at its upper edge, tapering gradually to a thin lower edge in order to distribute the buoyancy where needed, the greater degree of buoyancy being required toward the upper portion of the body. This I find to be of decided advantage. This pad C is provided with a. series of buttons 26 (five being shown) spaced along its upper edge adjacent to the fabric of the suit and a strip 27 is cemented to the fabric of the suit at spaced points and between the cemented points are formed button-holes 28 with which the buttons may engage. In order to secure the buttons from accidental releasement, a cord 29 is engaged around at least three of the. buttons inside the strip 27 and secured at its ends so that after the pad is secured in place it is prevented from becoming accidentally unbuttoned. Other buttons 32 are mounted on the pad and engage with button-holes 33 in tabs 3 cemented to the inner side of the fabric A at positions near each side thereof in order that the pad may be held flat and prevented from folding or becoming wadded in front of the body.

The pad D is formed to fit the upper portion of the body, over the shoulders and around the neck, and extends down the back an appropriate distance. This pad, like the pad C, is also formed thicker at its upper'portion and tapers to substantially a thin flexible edge at its lower portion. This pad is likewise buttoned to the suit so that it is secured from displacement and held in even position around the body. A flap d0 is formed around the edge of the section 13, having button-holes in which the buttons ll engage. Button-hole tabs 3%, such as shown in Figure 8. are also cemented to theinside of the body at the back spaced apart, preferably two or three, so that the lower portion of the pad D is also held in smooth position and prevented from folding or wad'lding. This construction of buoyant pad is of considerable advantage in the suit not only because it brings the buoyancy at the point where it is required to maintain the body of the wearer in proper position, but also renders the lower portion of the pads more flexible and gives the suit as a whole more flexibility and less interference with the free movements of the body.

I also provide an adjusting strap 50 composed of two parts with a buckle 51, one part of the strap being secured to the upper end of the front and the other to the lower end of the front, or toward the front, of the main body of the suit (Fig. 10). By adjusting said strap the fabric of the body is drawn up or let out to: accommodate the suit to the length of the body of the wearer, a fold 52- being formed when the body is shortened and said fold permits the body to be lengthened as desired, as will be readily understood.

As in my other patents, the portion B of the suit is provided with a neck opening which is composed of an elastic section adapted to give as the head of the wearer is forced through the opening and then to close snugly around the neck and prevent water from passing to the inside of the suit at this point. A collar may be added to give the suit a better finish around the neck, as shown. Non-elastic straps 53 prevent stretching in lengthwise direction as in my Patent No. 1,242,752.

Another improvement consists in the arrangement of the ankle fastening straps. End i0 is provided with a buckle 42 through which end 43 is inserted and said end is doubled at 44 and the parts secured by pivot 45 back of which the extreme point of the strap will turn outward, as. indicated in Figure 11., and thus serve to prevent the strap from. separating from the buckle. This ankle strap is always ready for use and can be quickly and conveniently secured by the wearer reaching down and giving the outer end a quick pull. The free end is so arranged as to come on the outside of the leg and is thus out of the way of the other foot or leg and also in the most convenient position to reach.

Having thus: fully described my said invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A life-saving suit of the character described provided with a single adjusting strap attached inside the suit one end to near the lower portion of the body and the other end toward the upper portion of the body, and means for adjusting the length of the same whereby the length of said suit may be regulated by causing an overlapping of the suit, substantially as set forth.

2. A suit of the character described comprising a. body portion and an upper portion, means for securing the said portions in interlocking relation, a pair of clamping levers pivoted at one end to one of the portions, braces secured to the other portion adjacent the said levers, said clamping levers having a cam shaped edge terminating in a recess for engagement with the adjacent brace and a detachable connection between the free ends of the levers whereby the levers are locked against accidental disengagement, said connection preventing movement of either lever past the highest point of the cam surface, substantially as set forth.

3. A suit of the character described comprising interengaging body and upper portions, a brace on one portion adjacent the juncture of the said portions, a clamping lever pivoted at one end to the other of said portions and having a cam surface for engagement with the said brace to maintain the said interengaging relationship of the said portions, and a connector secured to the free end of the clamping lever permitting movement of the lever to the highest point of the cam surface but preventing accidental disengagement of the clamp and brace, substantially as set forth.

4. A suit of the character described provided with means for adjusting the length of the same comprising a strap secured at one end inside the suit and having an adjustable connection at the other end whereby the portion of the suit between the said ends is caused to be folded over on itself, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at New York, New York, this 8th day of December, A. D. nineteen hundred and twenty-one.

OSCAR A. YOUNGREN. 

